Children's charity aim for father of Mark Speight

The Sutton Coldfield father of the late children's television presenter Mark Speight has spoken of his ambition to create the biggest artistic children's charity in Britain in memory of his "beautiful" son as he marked the first anniversary of his death.

The Sutton Coldfield father of the late children's television presenter Mark Speight has spoken of his ambition to create the biggest artistic children's charity in Britain in memory of his "beautiful" son as he marked the first anniversary of his death.

Oliver Speight said there had been an outpouring of love and grief from both children and adults following his 42-year-old son's suicide by hanging at Paddington railway station in west London in April last year.

The popular BBC SMart art show presenter had taken his life after he had been "devastated" by the drug-related death of his 31-year-old fiancee Natasha Collins months earlier.

Speaking to promote SP8 of the Art - the Mark Speight Foundation, set up in his son's memory, to foster artistic skill and talent in children, Mr Speight, 71, spoke of the "sense of purpose" he had gained since his son's death.

He said regional centres had been set up across the UK by the foundation and his "dream" was to open the Mark Speight School of Art and Entertainment in London in memory of his "beautiful son".

He said: "Everybody recognises that we are not going to stop until we achieve our goal, we are going to smash down every door that stands in our way, in three years, I want this to be the biggest artistic children's charity in Britain. It is because I want the power for the children."

Mr Speight, a property developer, said more than 26,000 emails of condolence had been received through the BBC and to himself following the news of his son's death with thousands more "hits" on the foundation website after the launch of the charity in November.

He said: "I feel that I am working with him to produce what he wanted to do. What I feel he is saying to me right now is 'keep going because you are finishing off what I wanted to do myself'.

"I am sure he is wishing now that he was here to do this because he would never, ever have imagined how much he was loved by these children and how it has gone like a flower opening up. This is unstoppable."

The foundation aims include seeking out future artistic skills and talent in children aged between four and 18 years old in a range of art forms including portraiture, landscape, fashion design, architecture, graphic design, sculpture and modern art.